As the scourge of “fake news” continues to plague our information environment, attention has turned toward devising automated solutions for detecting problematic online content. But, in order to ...build reliable algorithms for flagging “fake news,” we will need to go beyond broad definitions of the concept and identify distinguishing features that are specific enough for machine learning. With this objective in mind, we conducted an explication of “fake news” that, as a concept, has ballooned to include more than simply false information, with partisans weaponizing it to cast aspersions on the veracity of claims made by those who are politically opposed to them. We identify seven different types of online content under the label of “fake news” (false news, polarized content, satire, misreporting, commentary, persuasive information, and citizen journalism) and contrast them with “real news” by introducing a taxonomy of operational indicators in four domains—message, source, structure, and network—that together can help disambiguate the nature of online news content.
Polymer degradation and mechanical properties are of paramount importance in tissue engineering. The degradation rate of polymeric scaffolds is influenced by several important material and ...environmental factors. In particular, the mechanical support provided by the scaffold to the surrounding tissue during tissue regeneration is critical for that it directly impacts the cell behavior through mechanical signals sensed by mechanoreceptors on the cell surface. Consequently, the principal objective of the present study was to investigate the degradation behavior of electrospun poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) bilayer microfibrous scaffolds in pH-neutral medium. Changes in the morphology, molecular weight, crystallinity, mass loss, and thermomechanical properties of the scaffolds over an extended period were studied by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography, and tensile testing. An interplay between chain scission and orderly chain rearrangement in the polymer scaffold commenced during degradation, leading to the decrease of the molecular weight and stiffness, a constant mass loss, and an increase in crystallinity, tensile strength, and glass transition temperature, with virtually constant yield strength and melting temperature. The unchanged structure morphology and adequate matrix stiffness after prolonged degradation illuminated the potential of the bilayer PLLA scaffolds for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. Nonetheless, modifications to the scaffold structure or surface may be required to accordingly tune the degradation rate in these applications. The experimental methodology introduced in this study can be extended to potentially investigate material degradation in other fields, such as agriculture, packaging, and disposable products.
This paper analyses the influence of environmental knowledge on pro-environmental behaviour among university students from countries with different levels of economic development (USA, Spain, Mexico ...and Brazil). The explanatory variables include formal and informal education sources, gender, motivations, attitudes and perceived effectiveness of pro-environmental behaviour. Differences are found between students from emerging and developed countries which suggest that external factors (culture, environmental structures and services in each country) might play a relevant role in university students' behaviour towards the environment. A multinomial ordered logit model is applied to estimate the influence of the covariates on the environmental performance probability. The results also suggest that motivation and perceived effectiveness are not only significant variables in both groups but also the most important ones in explaining pro-environmental behaviour. While knowledge (objective and subjective) influences pro-environmental behaviour, attitude and informal education are not relevant variables.
•Influence of knowledge on environmental behaviour among university students.•Countries with different levels of economic development are considered.•Development related classification cannot be applied to environmental performance.
Gluten proteins are responsible for the viscoelastic properties of wheat flour but also for triggering pathologies in susceptible individuals, of which coeliac disease (CD) and noncoeliac gluten ...sensitivity may affect up to 8% of the population. The only effective treatment for affected persons is a strict gluten‐free diet. Here, we report the effectiveness of seven plasmid combinations, encompassing RNAi fragments from α‐, γ‐, ω‐gliadins, and LMW glutenin subunits, for silencing the expression of different prolamin fractions. Silencing patterns of transgenic lines were analysed by gel electrophoresis, RP‐HPLC and mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS), whereas gluten immunogenicity was assayed by an anti‐gliadin 33‐mer monoclonal antibody (moAb). Plasmid combinations 1 and 2 downregulated only γ‐ and α‐gliadins, respectively. Four plasmid combinations were highly effective in the silencing of ω‐gliadins and γ‐gliadins, and three of these also silenced α‐gliadins. HMW glutenins were upregulated in all but one plasmid combination, while LMW glutenins were downregulated in three plasmid combinations. Total protein and starch contents were unaffected regardless of the plasmid combination used. Six plasmid combinations provided strong reduction in the gluten content as measured by moAb and for two combinations, this reduction was higher than 90% in comparison with the wild type. CD epitope analysis in peptides identified in LC‐MS/MS showed that lines from three plasmid combinations were totally devoid of CD epitopes from the highly immunogenic α‐ and ω‐gliadins. Our findings raise the prospect of breeding wheat species with low levels of harmful gluten, and of achieving the important goal of developing nontoxic wheat cultivars.
To evaluate the association of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption with gains in weight and waist circumference, and incident overweight/obesity, in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult ...Health (ELSA-Brasil) cohort.
We applied FFQ at baseline and categorized energy intake by degree of processing using the NOVA classification. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured at baseline and after a mean 3·8-year follow-up. We assessed associations, through Poisson regression with robust variance, of UPF consumption with large weight gain (1·68 kg/year) and large waist gain (2·42 cm/year), both being defined as ≥90th percentile in the cohort, and with incident overweight/obesity.
Brazil.
Civil servants of Brazilian public academic institutions in six cities (n 11 827), aged 35-74 years at baseline (2008-2010).
UPF provided a mean 24·6 (sd 9·6) % of ingested energy. After adjustment for smoking, physical activity, adiposity and other factors, fourth (>30·8 %) v. first (<17·8 %) quartile of UPF consumption was associated (relative risk (95 % CI)) with 27 and 33 % greater risk of large weight and waist gains (1·27 (1·07, 1·50) and 1·33 (1·12, 1·58)), respectively. Similarly, those in the fourth consumption quartile presented 20 % greater risk (1·20 (1·03, 1·40)) of incident overweight/obesity and 2 % greater risk (1·02; (0·85, 1·21)) of incident obesity. Approximately 15 % of cases of large weight and waist gains and of incident overweight/obesity could be attributed to consumption of >17·8 % of energy as UPF.
Greater UPF consumption predicts large gains in overall and central adiposity and may contribute to the inexorable rise in obesity seen worldwide.
Previous research finds initial evidence that affordances of interactivity, agency, and modality can help increase physical activity (PA). However, the cross-sectional nature of these studies ...provides a snapshot of behavior but does not assess the impact of affordances of technology on change in PA behavior. In this study, we bridge this gap and test if features of technology that afford interactivity, agency, and choice of modality will be associated with an increase in PA across time. Guided by the Motivational Technology Model (MTM), we scraped 784 user profiles from the BodySpace App (a social weightlifting smartphone application) at baseline and after 70 days and establish the relationship between the use of features that afford interactivity, agency, and modality and behavioral change. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.
This open access book offers an interdisciplinary perspective and presents various case studies on music as ICH, highlighting the importance and functionality of music to stimulating social ...innovation and entrepreneurship. Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) covers the traditions or living expressions proposed by the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in five areas, including music. To understand the relationship between immaterial and material uses and inherent cultural landscapes, this open access book analyzes the symbolic, political, and economic dimensions of music. The authors highlight the continuity and current functionality of these artistic forms of expression as well as their lively and changing character in continuous transformation. Topics include the economic value and impact of music, strategies for social innovation in the music sector, music management, and public policies to promote cultural and creative industries.
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